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Indonesia
AsiaSoutheast Asia

Cyclone strands Indonesian fishermen on remote desert island off Australia for 6 days, 8 feared dead

  • One of their fishing boats carrying 10 men ran aground a week ago on a bare, sandy outcrop some 300km off Australia’s west coast
  • The other sank and the only known survivor spent 30 hours at sea before washing ashore on the same islet, where they survived without food or water

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Fishermen from Indonesia stranded on Bedwell Islet, more than 300km off the coast of Australia, gesture towards a rescue aircraft on Monday. Photo: Australian Maritime Safety Authority via AP
Associated Press
Eight Indonesian fishermen are feared drowned and another 11 have been rescued after spending six days without food or water on a barren island off the northwest coast Australia after a powerful tropical cyclone, authorities said on Wednesday.

Two primitive wooden Indonesian fishing boats were caught in the path of Cyclone Ilsa, which made landfall Friday as Australia’s most powerful storm in eight years, with winds gusting at an apparent record of 289km (180 miles) per hour.

One of the boats, Putri Jaya, sank in “extreme weather conditions” on April 11 or 12 while Ilsa was gathering strength over the Indian Ocean as it tracked southeast toward the coast, Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a statement, citing survivors.

The other boat, Express 1, ran aground with 10 men aboard in the early hours of April 12 on Bedwell Islet, a sandy outcrop some 300km (200 miles) west of the Australian coastal tourist town of Broome, the authority said.

The only known survivor from the Putri Jaya spent 30 hours in the water before washing ashore on the same islet, the statement said. He used a fuel can to stay afloat at sea, Indonesian officials told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

“They all remained [on Bedwell Islet] for six days without food and water before being rescued on Monday night,” the authority said. Bedwell Islet is part of the Rowley Shoals, a group of three coral reefs that includes Imperieuse Reef.

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